Circus and Sideshow in the Long Nineteenth Century: A Documentary History
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- ISBN 9781032454948
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 29 Jun 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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From the early nineteenth century, Indian itinerant artists have been journeying to the imperial centers. The emerging Indian circus enabled a multitude of surplus labour and migrant artists to find their place within its rubric, subsequent to the encounters with the colonial circuses. The touring Indian circus along with its performers – both human and non-human – played a crucial role in the global circus networks, provoking a range of receptions and discourse. This collection features source materials, including advertisements, biographies, legal documents, news articles, playbills, posters, reviews, thereby filling a critical void in circus histories.
Aastha Gandhi is an Assistant Professor teaching graduate program in Performance Studies at B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi. Her area of research engages with the circus, migration, networks, and discourses of the performing body. A degree in law and proficiency in dance adds to her multi-faceted and inter-disciplinary approach to research. Her forthcoming book, A Critical History of the Indian Circus: Performance, Networks, and Migration (Palgrave Macmillan) frames the evolution of Indian circus history and practice through mobility, migration, and actor-networks.
